Process of manufacturing varnish



C. H. BENNETT. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING VARNISH.

Patented May25, 1920.

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C. H. BENNETT. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING VARNISH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20, I919.

Patented May 25, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- C. H. BENNETT. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING VARNISH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20 1919. 1,341,103. Patented y 25, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARK H. IBENNETT,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING VABNISI-I.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 192 0.

loriginal application filed May 18, 1916, Serial No. 98,283. Divided and this application filed January 20,

1919. Serial No. 271,954.

To all whom it may concern:

my application'filed May 18, 1916, Ser. No.

The primary object of the invention is to prevent the now common loss of a substan tial per cent. of the solvent used in blend 'ing or reducing the thick body or cooked batch of the composition to the required consistency, which loss occurs during the introduction of the solvent into such body or batch,

In the manufacture of varnish as com-' monly or universally practised, after a batch of ingredients composing the body hasv been cooked, it is blended, or thinned that is to say, the requisite quantity of a solvent, such as naphtha or turpentine, is mixed therewith for the purpose of effecting the requisite consistency or viscosity of the resulting product or varnish. v

In doing this the blending or thinning is done in an open kettle, that is to sa when the body or batch has been sufficient y cooked and is ready for the addition of the solvent, the solvent is poured or otherwise introduced into the kettle and down upon the batch. The batch is hot, varying all the way from 250 degrees to 650 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat in the batch causes arapid and large volatilizing of the solvent. The mass foams and boils, as it were, and the general resulting vaporization, in the nature of fumes rising from the hot mass, causes a serious and expensive loss of as much as,v 25 per cent. of the solvent, which rises from the kettle and thence escapes into the atmosphere or, in some cases, is attempted to be drawn off through a pipe, say of twelve inch diameter, projecting into the open mouth of a kettle of several feet in diameter. Such pipes have sometimes had an induced draft, as by a fan, or been conhave invented certain new andcarried off, and much of the solvent is lost, entailing serious expense in manufacture.

In some instances imperfect attempts have been made to reclaim, some of the volatilized solvent as by traps in this fumespipe, into which small or negligible quantitiesof the solvent vapor will condense and be later taken out of the traps. That is as far as the art has progressedin respect of reclaiming any portion of the valuable and expensive solvent, the mixing of which with the batch is accomplished by such a serious vaporization. It is here that my invention comes into play and, pursuant to its primary object, it comprises a process of carry ing on the indispensable step of blending or introducing the solvent into the batch without loss of any, or any appreciable amount, of the solvent.

my process this step of introducing the solvent into the batch is done in a closed vessel, into which the batch and solvent are introduced separately, or at the same time, preferably the latter, so that the resulting vaporization and gases, due to the heat of the batch, are confined and a pres sure is created, and the vessel is provided sure in the vessel is condensed and thence returned to the batch in the vessel in liquid form, with practically no loss of the solvent.

Thus by my invention I not only save large quantities of the solvent, as for instance, I am enabled to use 122 gallons of solvent, such as naphtha or turpentine, to give the rightviscosity-to a given batch, where without my invention I have been required to use 140 gallons of solvent for a like sized batch, but I also introduce a factor of safety against fires by eliminating the open vessel and the consequent discharge of fumes which heretofore have often caused-fires; I make it possible. to

definite proportions of'batch and solvent, be-

cause unknown quantities of the solvent are not lost, but all of the solvent introduced is ultimately utilized by the combined 0pof apparatus as I under the kettle.

rosin, 46 gallons of lonsof linseed oil, 7

my process is eration of its original absorption by the body as introduced and the subsequent absorption of the reclaimed condensed portion.

My process has been put to practical use, and the statements contained herein are based upon known results.

The details of the several incidental steps of my process will be hereinafter stated, the process being described as applied in a preferred form of apparatus, but it will be understood that the process is not limited in its application or use to any particular type it maybe used successfully 1n any form of apparatus which will permit of the successive steps of the process being taken.

" In the accompanying drawings, Figure l f 1s a partial vertical section and partial side 20 elevation of the cooking kettle and blendinglvessel with their connecting pipes, coacting pump and reclaiming pipe or flume, constitutingthe essentials of an apparatus such as will serve the purpose of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same instrumentalities; and Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view of the blending vessel. and elevation of the pump and certain pipes.

The apparatus which serves to carry out preferably located in a building in which the floor A is somewhat elevated, for the location of the cooking kettle B, which preferably is mounted upon supporting wheels C, by which it may be moved from one position to another, as, for instance,'from that shown in the extreme right, of Fig. 1,-in full lines, to that shown at the left in'said'figure, in dotted lines. A sui able -heating medium, such burners, at 'C, is used to create the heat In this kettle is placed the composition of which the body of the 'varnish is to be made, an example of which may be stated to be- 100 pounds of gum or China wood oil, 5 galpounds of litharge and one pound of red lead, which, after being placed in the cooking kettle and cooked in the usual manner known in this art is to be mixedor blended vent, as naphtha or turpentine, to give the mass the proper consistency or viscosity.

The cooking is done with the kettle placed in the usual manner, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, a suitable. burner or other heating 'medium being applied to the exterior of the I kettle ing to' the practice in this art, then the kettle When this has been done accordis moved over on shown 1n dotted the floor A to the position lines, where its discharge p1pe l) is to be coupled with the supply pipe E of the blending vessel. This p1pe E has a cut-off, as at F, and thence connects with the pump intake as a series of gas with a suitable solpipe G coupled to a suitable pump H, say a rotary pump of any approved commercial type, to be operated by a belt applied to its pulley I. This pump has a discharge pipe J which connects with the supply pipe proper, designated K, which leads through its branch L into the blending vessel. The pipe K is supplied with a valve or cut-off M. The purposes of these cut-offs will appear later.

- y preference these several pipes and the pump are mounted on the cover N of the blending vessel 0, the latter being pfreferably constructed of an outer casing and an inner casing Q spaced apart both at the sides and bottom to leave a non-conducting space, tending to keep the heat from radiating from the inner casing Q, or if desirable permitting the introduction of water or other cooling medium for more rapidly cooling the contents of the vessel 0 or the introduction of a heating medium for maintainin the heat of the contents of the vessel 0. 1% discharge pipe R for the vessel extends down through it and into a well or sump S for the complete extraction of the contents or, product of the blending vessel by the action of the pump H, with which it connects by a branch pipe T leading to the pipe G. A cut-off or valve U is located at the juncture of the discharge pipe R and its branch T.

The" blending vessel is further with a reclaiming flume or pipe ably mounted on the cover N. This flume leads away to some suitable point where it, or a portion of it, constitutes a condenser W Th portion of the flume may be rovided trol Z and thence leads to any suitable supply of the solvent, as a tank Z.

y preference, though not of necessity, the blending vessel is equipped with an agitator in the nature of a series of blades a mounted on a suitable shaft 6 stepped at c and extending thence through the cover N to a suitable point and rovided with a pulley d operable'by a belt.- he function of'this device is to stir and agitate the mass or body in the vessel during the time of introducing the solvent.

Referring now to the mode of using the process in this apparatus I would state that after the ingredients which constitute the body or batchhave been cooked in the kettle B and the kettle has been advanced to the position shown in dotted lines and its pipe prefer- 1 offs F and M are closed and the valve or cut the vessel through the pipes D has been coupled with the pipe E, power is turned on the pump and the contents of the kettle drawn through the pipes D and E, thence throu h the pump inlet pipe G, dis charge pipe J and on the supply pipes K and L into the blending vessel.

l'Vhen the varnish or product is to be Withdrawn from the vessel the valves or cutoffs U and U in the leading off branch pipe V closed. Then when the ump is ut in op eration it draws the varnis or ro uct from and G and discharges it through the'pipes J and V to some suitable receptacle.

During the introduction of the batch or body into the blending vessel the solvent is also introduced. The relative positions of the pipes L and Y, as seen in Fig. 3, are

such as to cause the body and the solvent to come in contact and begin their admixture one with the other, a step which more thoroughly intermixes them and hastens the incorporation of the solvent into the body and thereby hastens the resulting viscosity of the product. But it will'be understood that the solvent may beintroduced after the body is entirely within the vessel, and that the particular mode of introducing the body and the solvent is not essential, though the mode illustrated and here described is preferred.

But the contact of the solvent with the body, which is in a highly heated state at this time, 11o matter whether they are introducedsimultaneously'or one after the other 7 brings about a rapid vaporization, particularly of the solvent, which usually being naphtha or turpentine is highly volatile.

The vaporthus created quickly fills the entire interior of the blending vessel, even to the extent of creating a pressure which, if unrelieved, would become dangerous. But the vapor, by reason of this pressure, is driven up orthrough the reclaiming pipe or flume. By thetime the vapor reaches the farther end of the flume I find there is little or no discharge, as all that is appreciable of the vapor has-been condensed. This condens-ati on flows back through the reclaiming pipe or flume into the blending vessel.

As a result of this process practically the entire quantity of solvent measured, say by a meter 6 interposed in the solvent pipe, is

preserved and utilized for admixture with the body of the material in reducing it from its thick state to the required viscosity.

consists, essentially, in carrying on the blending? step,"the introduction of the sol-' vent into or upon the bodyhof the varnish compound, in a closure within which the. re-' tribute these vapors beyond the vessel,

through an opening therefor, and in condensing andreturning the solvent vapor to the vessel, or otherwise reusing it.

The process stated as a whole consists in cooking the varnish ingredients, save the solvent in delivering such body or batch in a heated state into a closed vessel, in preferably making such delivery through a restricted orifice, whereby the material of the body will enter the vessel in a stream in stead of in a mass, in introducing the solvent into or upon the body, preferably in the form of a stream which will strike the stream of the other material and mingle and intermix more perfectly thereby, in confining the resulting solvent and other vapors within the vessel to create pressure, and by confining, I mean restricting the escape of.

vessel will be utilized therein, but the process will still be within my invention if this.

condensed solvent vapor is otherwise used or treated after its condensation, in which case it will be reclaimed from'loss.

In the practical use of my process in a varnish works the saving by reason of this reclaiming of the otherwise lost solvent amounts to large sums of money ranging, for instance, from, say thirty dollars a day on up according to the quantity of varnish daily manufactured, the usual cost of the solvents, such as naphtha and turpentine, ranging from ten cents per gallon to 70 cents per gallon. I have already stated that in the practical operations of my varnish plant I have made 122 gallons of solvent perform the same oflice under my process as required 140 gallons without such process. This isan illustration of the commercial utility of my process, the actual saving effected of an eX- pensive solvent used in the manufacture of paint being 5% to 15% or more.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In the manufacture of varnish, the herein described process consisting in cooking a batch of varnish or body, in delivering it in a hot state into a closure, in delivering upon it within the closure a given quantity of sol vent, in utilizing the resultant pressure of vapor and fumes to discharge the solvent vapor from the closure, in receiving and condensing said, solvent vapor exterior of the closure and inreturning the condensate into said closure, in introducing upon the 10 to them'ass in the closure; whereby substanbody in the closure a quantity of solvent, and

,tially the entire quantity of solvent origileading off from said closure the resulting nally introduced in the closure is utilized. solvent vapors by means of the vapor pres- 5 2. In the manufacture of varnish, the sure in the closure, in,condensing such solherein described process consisting in cookvent vapors and in returning such conden- 15 ing a. quantity of varnish body remote sate to the body in the closure. from a blending closure, in transferring the In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature. heated body from the cooking point to and CLARK H. BENNETT. 

